Much Ado About Mulch

Spreading mulch helps your garden any time of year!

When you spread mulch in your garden you add a touch of class—of neatness—to your home, but did you know the many other benefits mulch provides?

Mulch protects plants and adds nutrients to the soil; mulch helps buffer delicate roots from extreme heat or cold; it helps keep moisture in the soil and prevent soil erosion, and laying down mulch can thwart competition from weeds so you can easily grow the plants you want. According to the USDA, laying mulch is one of the simplest and best ways to help your garden grow.

What is mulch? Mulch is any layer of material that is put on top of a garden for protection. Organic mulch includes different types of barks, grass clippings from mowing, hay, or straw. Mulch can be colorful—it can help coordinate your garden to your house and comes in different textures from fine to coarse.

When to lay mulch Normally, late spring is a great time to lay mulch in gardens and around trees and decorative shrubs.

There are benefits, though, in laying more mulch in late summer or fall. At that time of year, a 3-inch layer of mulch will do a lot to:

retain moisture during the late summer heat

help protect the roots of your perennials from the coming frost

insulate against our Northern Illinois temperature swings

And if you don’t feel like mulching right now, mulch stores well in a storage shed outside. Buy now and be ready for your spring garden projects.

Why not buy from the Best? For all of your gardening needs, for pickup or delivery of mulch, contact Best Firewood and Mulch. They’ll figure out how much mulch you need, give you advice on different types of mulch for your garden, and/or deliver and install mulch right to your yard.

Best Firewood and Mulch is located in Aurora, Illinois, where they’ve given top-quality service— including hardwood firewood for sale to homeowners and other customers in DeKalb, DuPage, Will, Kendall, and Kane counties— for over 35 years.